AFL supporters are happy to watch the game from home

It's been a mixed year for the AFL's television broadcasters. While it's difficult to criticise the width and breadth that Channel Seven and Foxtel have gone to in covering the indigenous game, this, in part, was seen as a reason why attendances dropped in Melbourne, sparking a strategy re-think under new league chief Gillon McLachlan.

Put simply, so comprehensive is the coverage, particularly for those willing - and financially able - to have a pay television subscription, that the match-day experience at the ground can even suffer by comparison (particularly when factoring in the cost of tickets, parking and food).

Seven, to borrow a modern sporting term, is "all in" on game day, even hanging on for the live post-match press conferences on a Friday night. It also has its Sunday morning panel show and the forefather of the Monday-night review, Talking Footy, now a more gentle handpass compared to Nine's often pointed Footy Classified.

Fox Footy continues to reinforce its value, although for the likes of St Kilda and Melbourne supporters the nightly dose of dissection on AFL360 becomes Groundhog Day in long and losing seasons. Senior coaches Paul Roos and Mark Thompson have earned their pay cheques by providing follow-up headlines on their weekly appearances alongside hosts Gerard Whately and Mark Robinson, while Jordan Lewis, the Hawthorn star, has been as forthright in the studio as he is on the field. Thompson has also been great value in his often quirky post-match press conferences on Seven, reinforcing the value of extending the coverage.

Simon Lethlean, the AFL's head of broadcasting and scheduling, remains happy with the overall package available to supporters.

"I don't think there are any broadcast product issues. Our numbers stack up really well this year," he said.

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Fox has also done a good job, particularly on a Saturday in allowing its live coverage of three matches, beginning around 1pm, finishing 10 hours later and often hosted by the unflappable Sandy Roberts, to flow. Rather than be boxed as three separate games, the afternoon and night has a smooth feel, with even what's dubbed a "live look in" to the second afternoon match shown on Fox 3 and Seven embraced as a way to ensure viewers do not miss any drama.

The Friday-night Churchillian "war-room", where two of Fox's experts dissect the on-going match to within an inch of its life, could be accused of taking the game too seriously, although for the hardcore this analysis is enjoyable.

The AFL is crucial to Foxtel's bid to secure more subscriptions, a point reinforced in that Fox Footy through the season has been the No.1 channel on subscription television based on weekly share. Fox says its average audience per match is 225,000 – in line with the 2013 season average.

Seven says it is has also been happy. The new Thursday-night timeslot has enjoyed an average audience in the five city metro markets of about 615,000, the marquee Friday-night slot of about 644,000 and Saturday night of about 576,000.

However, Sunday twilight and Sunday nights, while drawing strong television ratings, were not supported well in terms of attendances when scheduled in Melbourne. The value of the Monday-night slot is also debatable. Some argue there was no need to experiment with those slots, suggesting the networks wielded too much power. However, with negotiations for a new broadcast deal, possibly over 10 years, beginning later this year, and with Nine and Ten expressing interest, it was worth trying.

Friday night is such a ratings winner that Greater Western Sydney chief Dave Matthews says a second game, held outside of Victoria, could help develop the sport in what are still foreign northern markets.

Seven, though, has still not quite nailed its hour-long pre-game on a Saturday night despite the good humour of Mick Molloy. Skewed towards attracting the female viewer and families at dinner time, it can lack punch. For those with Foxtel, that hour can be spent watching the live twilight clash, with last weekend's crucial match between the Swans and Richmond the perfect option. One sports executive from a rival network believes Seven would be better "outsourcing" that hour, in the manner of replicating the success Ten's Before the Game once enjoyed.

Some commentators may polarise opinion, the English language has been been butchered at times, and the term "structures" bandied about too often, but it's hard to argue the networks aren't doing their best to cater for the viewer - and yes, to recoup their investment.

* SBS has made the right call by shifting its A League coverage to its primary channel this season. The move came after lobbying from Football Federation Australia, which was disappointed Friday night matches were shown on SBS2 last season. SBS, typically, did an excellent job through the World Cup, and still sells itself as the home of soccer - something Fox Sports would dispute - but that claim is hollow if the local competition is banished to a secondary channel.